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Ronda by bus in early January?

Our clockwise route (by bus and train) as penciled in thus far is given in below (Dec 28 - Jan 16) A more complete trip plan with details about nights, etc will be in another post for revisions and suggestions

We would like to visit Ronda but we wonder (1) is it a reasonable day trip in early January (weather and daylight hours) , and (2) if so, should we base in Malaga (again), or get a different experience by staying in Marbella, and thence to day trip from there (transport is more complicated).

Or add a day to Seville at the end of our trip and possibly do a day trip to Ronda from there, if weather permits?

Cordoba to Ronda by fastest train is about 1.5 hours and then 1.25 hours from there to Malaga by train. Could be a day trip from either or a few-hour stop (physical beauty IMO more than things to see) but if take bus from Seville - I did and think it may take longer to Ronda thru the white villages - maybe then stay overnight in Ronda. Weather should be warm enough to make sure buses run OK I would think.

Trains - Madrid to Toledo is short and cheap but can be full for any given day - book early at www.renfe.com or take buses which are easy to get on others say.

Madrid to Cordoba AVE train book ASAP at www.renfe.com for limited in number discounted fares - ditto for your other trips except regional trains like to Seville from Jerez and Cadiz but bus from Malaga to Cadiz - you could easily bus to Gibraltar - some like me love it others diss it as a big rock - but it is a unique place with a Spanish-English culture with British-like pubs, British supermarkets, etc and I found it fun climbing the rock to cavort with its legendary tail-less apes (which will pilfer anything in sight!)

There is also a Spanish Railpass to consider if don't want to book trains far in advance and have flexibility on which trains to take when there not book in stone (discounted tickets unchangeable from specific train I believe) months ahead to time which is need often to guarantee getting a discounted ticket as they may quickly sell out.

Just to reiterate: I seek information (and opinions) on visiting Ronda in January. A total itinerary for critique will appear in a few days.

I am a bit confused by PalenQ's replies since I didn't mention Madrid or Gibralter in my post but ...

We are not under particular time pressure, so don't feel the need to stop by Ronda en route to Malaga or Granada. IF we go to Ronda, surely it merits a few hours of exploration on foot.

kja: yes, I will make another post with our more detailed plan with interests to seek feedback, especially with respect to # of nights in each location (though holidays dictate that to some extent). . Right now I am trying to figure out logistically whether a daytrip to Ronda from Marbella or Malaga or Seville even makes sense in January. It sounds like it is a bit too far from Seville at 2.5hr each way. Marbella is 1.5 hr but dodgy. On the other hand, by then we may need a "nature" balance to incredible architecure and ruins and art.

We are are trying to balance time in bus vs daylight hours vs what we want to see....

Thanks!

And we are trying to keep flexibility in our schedule/plans because weather in January is ... iffy ....